assoil

• IPA^(key): /əˈsɔɪl/

From Middle English assoilen, from Anglo-Norman assoiler, from the tonic stem of Old French assoudre (modern absoudre), from Latin absolvere, present active infinitive of absolvō (“I absolve”). Doublet of absolve.

assoil (third-person singular simple present assoils, present participle assoiling, simple past and past participle assoiled)

1. (transitive, archaic) To absolve, acquit; to release from blame or sin.
   • Dr. H. More

     acquitted and assoiled from the guilt

   • Jeremy Taylor

     Many persons think themselves fairly assoiled, because they are […] not of scandalous lives.

2. (archaic) To set free, release.
   • 1590, Edmund Spendser, The Faerie Queene, I.x:

     But first thou must a season fast and pray, / Till from her hands the spright assoiled is [...].

3. To solve; to clear up.
   • Bishop Jewel

     Any child might soon be able to assoil this riddle.

4. To expiate; to atone for.
   • E. Arnold

     Let each act assoil a fault.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

5. To remove; to put off.
   • Spenser

     She soundly slept, and careful thoughts did quite assoil.

• assoilzie

ad- +‎ soil

assoil (third-person singular simple present assoils, present participle assoiling, simple past and past participle assoiled)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To soil or stain; to make dirty.

• Isolas, loasis